Obituary of Christine Mottern

TWIN FALLS – One of God’s special angels has passed from our lives. Chris Mottern, 75, a long-time resident of Twin Falls and beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend departed this life at her home on Wednesday, May 26, after a courageous battle with cancer. The memory of her radiant smile, cheerful personality, gentle nature, and sense of adventure will be forever in our hearts. Chris was born on July 8, 1934, in Harrison, Arkansas, one of five sisters and one brother. As a toddler, she moved with her family to Idaho. She was a 1952 Filer High School graduate and was a leader in many school organizations and activities. Soon after finishing high school, she moved to Twin Falls and was employed by Barnard Auto Company. Later, she was hired by her eventual husband, Ben Mottern, at the Rogerson Restaurant. Chris and Ben were married in 1955 and remained a fun-loving and devoted couple until Ben’s passing in 2004. Their years of their marriage were filled with raising four beautiful children, co-owning a successful restaurant business with their dear friends, Ted and Jennie Smith, traveling, cheering on their favorite sports teams and enjoying shared interests. Throughout her lifetime, Chris’ first priority was supporting her children and grandchildren’s activities. She was involved in their 4-H groups, decorating barn stalls and showing horses and dogs; car-pooling to dance lessons and recitals; watching sporting events of her children, grandchildren, many nieces and nephews and friends; spending hours with the Rogerson Coffee Shop Giants little league baseball team; and helping out with any school activity where she was needed. Her last outing, 11 days before she died, was attending her grandson, Alex’s graduation from Lighthouse High School. After her children were grown, Chris pursued a career in the hotel industry. Hired as a sales manager at the Canyon Springs Inn of Twin Falls, she was soon promoted to the position of General Manager. Her career highlight was having the opportunity to establish and serve as the Director of Hotel Management at the College of Southern Idaho for 12 years where she was awarded Outstanding Technical Staff Person. Chris was full of adventure and everyone wanted to be with her. She loved to go for a long ride and end up in a place no one would have imagined visiting on that outing. She had a passion to explore the outdoors and take in the beauty of nature, to return to places that made an early impression on her to reflect the past, and an excitement to visit new destinations. Getting into the car and traveling to a CSI basketball tournament 2,000 miles away during a snow storm or following the University of Idaho Vandals to a football game wherever their schedule took them was perfectly normal for Chris! Just as exuberant as she was for adventure, she welcomed the precious moments of solitude. Greeting the dawn of a new day on her long walks on the CSI campus, the quiet times in her home listening to soothing music, meditating, reading inspirational books and just “being” with her angels were some of her most cherished times. Chris was a shining example of authentic beauty, grace, sincerity and generosity. Her sense of empathy and compassion was strong, and she always had time for anyone who needed her. She lived her life with strong faith, a positive attitude and a healthy lifestyle. She faced difficult health challenges with strength, dignity, and poise, and was thankful for each day. She continued her involvement with the Twin Falls Reformed Church, gathering with friends for Bible Study and assisting with providing food for those in need every Monday evening. She was also active in the Twin Falls Chapter of P.E.O.. She journeyed to Israel in 2008 with a group from her church and hiked the Negev Desert where she “walked in the footsteps of Jesus”, an event she called “a life-changing experience.” Seeking knowledge of her granddaughter’s culture, she traveled to Thailand in 2008. In the autumn of 2009, she experienced her first cruise visiting Italy, the Greek Isles and Turkey. Chris is survived by her loving children and grandchildren Jim (Jane) Mottern and their daughters Jamie and Jenna of Irvine, CA; Janis (Ken) Mottern- High and their daughters Sara and Emma of Twin Falls; Jerry (Nitnoi) Mottern and their daughters Jennifer and Jasmine of Twin Falls; and Joni Mottern and her children Alex and Haley Nixon, also of Twin Falls. Chris’ family also includes her sisters Betty Reichert of Twin Falls; Shirley (Tom) Mahan of Santa Clarita, CA; and Rita (Michael) Delaney of Boise; her brother Will Moore of Star, ID; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by Ben, her husband of 48 years; her father and mother, Clyde and Lena Moore; her sister, Eva McClure; and her nephew, Greg Moore. The family would like to thank the medical community, especially Dr. Sara Johnson, and Hospice Visions for the compassionate care extended to Chris during the final days of her illness. For all the family and friends who prayed, visited, and sent notes of encouragement, we are eternally grateful. She felt your love. A celebration of Chris’ life will take place on Saturday, June 5, at 1 p.m. at the Reformed Church of Twin Falls, 1631 Grandview Drive North. In lieu of flowers, contributions to one of the following would be appreciated: College of Southern Idaho Foundation, PO Box 1238, Twin Falls, ID 83303, Vandal Scholarship Fund, c/o University of Idaho Foundation, PO Box 443147, Moscow, ID 83844-3147, or the Reformed Church of Twin Falls.